MH370: Areas to be probed - hijack, sabotage, human issues

KUALA LUMPUR: Police have listed four areas to be focussed on in their investigation into the missing Malaysian Airlines (MAS) MH370.

The four possibilities that they are looking at are hijack, sabotage, psychological problem of passengers and crew, and their personal problems.

“For the police investigations, we are focusing on these four areas. Of course the DCA will be focusing on mechanical areas as well. These are the main considerations. Can you suggest something new of concern?,” the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said to reporters at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), Tuesday.

Khalid said the MH370 police probe is headed by Federal CID director Commissioner Datuk Hadi Ho Abdullah, which was initiated as soon as police knew about the disappearance of the Boeing 777-200ER plane.

“We have been talking to people, going through passenger manifest. We have communicated with our counterparts in at least 14 countries of which most of the passengers come from, and also other parts of the world, and we have been exchanging information and intelligence,” said Khalid.

Khalid said that a team of public security officers from China had visited him and held discussions on the incident. He added that the police are also looking through the profiles of all of those on board the flight.

“We are going through the profiles of the passengers and crew. We are also going through all the video footages, the whole day from March 7, 8, and 9. We are checking with all our brother officers from other departments on the background of all the passengers,” he said.

Meanwhile, Khalid said that police investigations have showed that all passengers who booked the MH370 flight had boarded the plane, contradicting previous statements by the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA)that there were five who did not board.

Khalid stressed that there were “no five passengers who checked in and never boarded”.

Previously, DCA chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said that five people checked in to board the missing plane but cancelled their travel at the last minute.

These would-be passengers had also checked in their baggage which was later removed from the aircraft in line with the usual procedures.

However, Khalid insisted that this was not the case, saying: “Everybody who booked this flight boarded the plane”.

Pressed to reveal more clues that the police have uncovered, Khalid said that police are combing through the evidence. “That’s why we are going into the four areas, doing it slowly one by one. If it is confirmed it is easy for us.”

Asked about the estimated financial impact of this disaster, Khalid replied: “I am sorry I can’t tell you, I don’t know this one”.

The MAS flight went missing at 2.40am on a Kuala Lumpur to Beijing flight two hours after it took off at 12.41am on Saturday. It was scheduled to land in Beijing at 6.30 am. on Saturday.

The flight was carrying a total number of 239 passengers, including 2 infants and 12 crew members.